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The two judges from The Voice have long been rumored to be feuding. What's the real story?
By Rebekah Kuschmider — Written on May 17, 2018
The music world is full of divas — and we mean that in the best possible way. Women with talent and the attitude to go with it shine in the industry, turning themselves from crooners to icons.
Two of the biggest names in pop music are Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera. Both women reached the top of the charts in the 1990s and they haven't missed a beat in the years since. Nowadays, the singers have been playing musical chairs on The Voice, helping coach the next generation of musicians on the NBC series. They've each been on the panel of judges during different seasons and Gwen served as a mentor during one of the seasons that Christina was a judge.
Rumors have always flown that there was disharmony between the two singers. This week, Christina opened up about the story to W Magazine. So what's the real deal with the Christina Aguilera Gwen Stefani feud on The Voice? Read on to find out.
1. Christina was an original judge.
When The Voice debuted in 2011, Christina was one of the judges, alongside Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and CeeLo Green. The four of them were a winning combination, drawing big ratings and becoming fan favorites.
2. Then came Gwen.
Aguilera alternated seasons with Shakira for a couple of years because apparently producers only wanted one woman at a time on the panel. Gwen came aboard in 2014. That's not the source of any friction between the two singers, however. Stefani was invited to join the show to cover for Xtina while she was pregnant with her second child.
3. Then Gwen met Blake.
Gwen didn't just find a job on The Voice; she also found a partner. Gwen met Blake Shelton on the set and the two of them hit it off. The pop star and the country singer were both in the throes of messy divorces at the time and found solace with one another. They began a romance that's still going strong today. It was good for them and good for the show.
3. Christina returns.
Christina came back from maternity leave and settled back into her red chair. Meanwhile, Gwen was hired as a mentor for the singers on Team Blake. But all was not well — allegedly producers had offered the sweethearts a sweetheart deal to capitalize on their romance. They were offered bonuses for singing duets on the show and a source even hinted to Radar Online that producers wanted an on-air engagement. Christina was supposedly furious, saying Gwen was only there because of Blake.
4. That's a wrap for Christina.
The contentious season 10 was the end of The Voice for Christina. She left the show after that to be replaced by Miley Cyrus. Neither Aguilera nor NBC gave a reason for her leaving, only fueling the fires of the rumored beef with Gwen and Blake.
5. Was it Blake's fault?
Some think Blake was furious about Christina ousting Gwen after one season of judging and that led to her exit. Gwen was eventually invited back as a judge for season 12, giving some legitimacy to the theory.
6. What's happening now?
This week, Christina is addressing the rumors of the feud in an interview with W Magazine. They asked her point blank if she quit over Gwen and she replied "“Oh my God, no! No, it never had anything to do with any one person at all." She even commented how cute it was that Gwen and Blake found love in the wild environment of the show. She went on to explain that she left the show because she felt it had drifted from its original purpose and she wanted to get back to making her own music.
7. But she did have one complaint.
Christina hinted she wished she could have shared judging duties with Gwen — or any other female singer. She told W, "I fought for a long time to get two females in the chairs. And, for a long time, I was just told it wasn’t the demographic. But just know that I was a fighter behind the scenes.”
Christina won't be headed back to The Voice anytime soon. She's about to head out on her Liberation tour this summer.
Gwen will be back on stage as well, with planned shows in Las Vegas.
Rebekah Kuschmider is a DC area writer with a background in non-profit management and advocacy Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and is a contributor the book Love Her, Love Her Not: The Hillary Paradox . She is a cohost of the weekly political podcast The More Perfect Union.